the jigsaw seen news

Tour Dates!
October 29, 2011

Nov. 12: Cafe Nine - New Haven, CT
Nov. 13: Rock Shop - Brooklyn, NY
Nov. 14: Pianos - New York, NY
Nov. 16: The Saint - Asbury Park, NJ
Nov. 17: The Barbary - Philadelphia, PA
Dec. 01: Silverlake Lounge - Los Angeles, CA
Dec. 02: Hotel Utah - San Francisco, CA
Dec. 03: Eleven - San Diego, CA

For additional information, click here.

"Snow Angels Of Pigtown" video!
October 21, 2011
The band's video tribute to Baltimore (aka "Pigtown"), directed by Ry Currier, has been posted to Youtube.

"Snow Angels" is the focus track from "Winterland" and arrives at radio on November 8.

To watch video, click here.

"WINTERLAND" REVIEW IN BIG TAKEOVER!
October 1, 2011
Editor Jack Rabid calls The Jigsaw Seen's "Winterland" a "masterpiece" in the next issue of The Big Takeover, comparing it to "Forever Changes," "Days Of Future Passed," and "The Madcap Laughs" and writing "Greater than an audacious, interesting concept LP, though, is the beguiling pop-art-psych beauty that fills this wondrous work. Would that every band had such immortal flair at their fingertips!" 
The Big Takeover is available at newsstands everywhere, to subscribe, go to: www.bigtakeover.com

"Winterland" pre-release listening party in Atlanta!
August 27, 2011
RUST Magazine will be hosting a very special pre-release listening party for The Jigsaw Seen's new album "Winterland" at Mojo Vinyl in Atlanta on September 15 as part of the "Alive After 5" event. Hear "Winterland" two months before it's officially released and hear it on vinyl! Listening party sponsored by Gemini DJ Equipment.

For details, click here.

WIN A "WINTERLAND" LP TEST PRESSING!
August 06, 2011
Enter to win an ultra rare vinyl test pressing of The Jigsaw Seen's upcoming LP "Winterland," mastered by Steve Rooke at Abbey Road Studios, London. Four runner-ups will win "Winterland" t-shirts. 

To enter, go to http://bandrx.com/go/thejigsawseen, scroll to bottom of the page and click "enter now." Deadline to enter is Midnight PST on Nov. 23, 2011, drawing will be held on Nov. 25, 2011.

Winners will be notified by Facebook message or by e-mail.

"Winterland" will be released on vinyl, compact disc and download in the UK by Code 7/Plastichead on Nov. 14 and in the US by Vibro-phonic/BDC on Nov. 15.

"What About Christmas?" press quotes!
July 10, 2011
Press quotes for "What About Christmas?", the opening track on The Jigsaw Seen's forthcoming album "Winterland":

“’What About Christmas?’ deserves to be part of the permanent seasonal repertoire.” USA TODAY

“’What About Christmas?’ swells with perfectly plush production tactics and the moaning sound of a Mellotron. The Jigsaw Seen are experts at blending psychedelic textures with massive pop hooks.” TWIST AND SHAKE

“’What About Christmas?’ is what every self-respecting Nuggets fan will be wanting for the holidays, a primitive pounding beat, a tinsel of Mellotron and a guitar solo that would frazzle the turkey.” AMERICANA UK

“A lovely rolling tune with some great guitar work and an annoyingly catchy chorus, possibly the only festive song you will be able to stomach this yuletide. PTOLEMAIC TERRASCOPE (UK)

“’What About Christmas?’ boasts a dense, urgent melody with more than a hint of psychedelic undertow.” ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Whitey Bulger meets The Jigsaw Seen @ BLURT!
June 25, 2011
Blurt magazine recently posted an article (written by Jud Cost) on The Jigsaw Seen lead singer Dennis Davison's friendship with recently captured Boston mobster Whitey Bulger (number 1 on FBI's most wanted list, subject of Martin Scorsese movie "The Departed"). The person who turned Whitey in (not Dennis) is going to receive a two million dollar reward. "The FBI, meanwhile, has no comment on the band".

To read the article, click here.

"Winterland" mastered today at Abbey Road!
June 20, 2011
The Jigsaw Seen's "Winterland" was mastered for compact disc and digital download today at Abbey Road Studios in London by the distinguished recording engineer Peter Mew (The Beatles, Pink Floyd, David Bowie). Peter has worked on the classic albums "Magical Mystery Tour", "Ummagumma", "S.F. Sorrow" and countless others. In addition to mastering David Bowie's entire catalog, Peter also recently created the first ever stereo mix of Bowie's "The Laughing Gnome"! LP masters will also be cut at Abbey Road later this week.

"Winterland" will be released by Vibro-phonic/BDC on Nov. 15, 2011.

Rhino Records Pop Up store appearance!
June 5, 2011
The Jigsaw Seen's Dennis Davison will perform two songs at Kristian Hoffman's Paisley Pop Calvacade at the Rhino Records Pop Up store on June 9 backed by the house band which will include Jonathan Lea on lead guitar. Other performers include Timur Bekbosunov, Kristi Callan, Ruthann Friedman, Lisa Jenio, Steve Stanley, Abby Travis and the show's host Kristian Hoffman.

For additional information, check out the event's Facebook page here.

Guest appearance by Dave Davies on "Winterland" LP!
June 1, 2011
Rock legend Dave Davies of The Kinks sings harmony vocals on The Jigsaw Seen's version of Gordon Lightfoot's "Circle Of Steel" from the band's upcoming LP "Winterland". Dave's harmony vocals have graced classics such as "You Really Got Me", "Waterloo Sunset", "Sunny Afternoon", "Lola" and countless others.

"Winterland" is the follow-up to The Jigsaw Seen's critically acclaimed, CMJ charting 2010 album "Bananas Foster" and will be released by Code 7 in the UK on Nov. 14 and by BDC in the US on 

Nov. 15.

Jonathan Lea interview with RUST!
May 4, 2011
Guitarist Jonathan Lea discusses the recording of The Jigsaw Seen's upcoming album "Winterland" in an interview with RUST.

To read interview, click here.

"Celebrity Interview" available at iTunes!
March 1, 2011
The Jigsaw Seen's ultra-rare 1999 single "Celebrity Interview" (including non-LP b-side "Another Predictable Song") has been remastered and is now available for download at iTunes. Original copies of this single (with gatefold sleeve and insert featuring Jayne Mansfield) have sold on eBay for over $50. "The Jigsaw Seen's extremely catchy 'Celebrity Interview' possesses a definite affection for the frothy guitar sounds of British rock." - CMJ

To download "Celebrity Interview" at iTunes, click here.

"First Love Soundtrack" at eMusic!
February 14, 2011
The Jigsaw Seen is included in eMusic's Valentine's Day promotion "First Love Soundtrack" with the download site asking artists to share the songs that remind them of that special someone. 

To read about Tom's first crush (Diana Rigg), click here.

NPR's "Song Of The Day"!
February 8, 2011
The Jigsaw Seen's "Where The Action Isn't" (from "Bananas Foster") is NPR's "Song Of The Day" today and they're offering a free download of the track at the National Public Radio website, saying "After 20 years, The Jigsaw Seen still writes soaring, smart, carefully crafted pop songs like 'Where The Action Isn't.'"

To read article, see photo and download "Where The Action Isn't", click here.

Steve Lillywhite spins The Jigsaw Seen!
January 18, 2011
Grammy-winning producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Peter Gabriel) played The Jigsaw Seen's "David Hart's Name Of Song" (from "Bananas Foster") today on his radio show, recommending the album and calling it "well recorded."

To see Steve's playlist, click here.

The Jigsaw Seen on BBC 2!
January 11, 2011
The legendary Bob Harris (host of "The Old Grey Whistle Test" TV show) played "Melancholy Morning" (from "Bananas Foster") on his BBC 2 radio show on Sunday.

To see Bob's entire playlist, click here.

4 star review in UK magazine UNCUT!
January 06, 2011
"Bananas Foster" receives 4 stars in a review in the February issue of UK music magazine UNCUT (with Roxy Music or The Allman Brothers on the cover).

Reviewer Chris Roberts calls the album "virtuosic, inventive" and "perfect retro-pop" and compares the band ("LA art-rockers") to Spoon, Scott Walker, psych-pop Bee Gees and 10cc. UNCUT is available in the US at newsstands, Borders and Barnes & Noble.

To read review, click here.

Review in UK newspaper The Sunday Times!
December 20, 2010
"Bananas Foster" received 3 stars in a review in the "Essential New Releases" section in yesterday's edition of UK newspaper The Sunday Times (circulation: 1.3 million). The paper called the album "the perfect festive gift."

To see review, click here.

4 star review in The Daily Mirror!
December 10, 2010
"Bananas Foster" receives 4 stars in a review appearing in today's edition of UK newspaper The Daily Mirror (circulation: 1.2 million) with critic Gavin Martin calling the band "psych-pop experts" and the album "a far-flung feast of flavours, utilising a quasi-orchestral assortment of instruments on dazed but courageous corkers." The paper also ran a photo of Dennis and Jonathan taken by Jes Andrade and the Bananas Foster cover graphic.

To see review, click here.

All Music Guide review!
November 24, 2010
"Bananas Foster" has received a great review at All Music Guide (which has also been posted by iTunes) with James Allen describing the music as "orchestral pop that evokes everything from The Beach Boys to The Zombies at their baroque pop peaks," "raw-boned, fuzz-laden garage rock" and "dramatic psych-folk." James ends the review by stating "the tracks are full of graceful, elegant arrangements and memorable moments."

To read entire review, click here.

MAGNET Magazine's "MP3 at 3PM"
November 20, 2010
MAGNET Magazine is offering a free download of "Where The Action Isn't" from "Bananas Foster" at their website, writing that the band "has painstakingly crafted some of the most viscerally and intellectually stimulating material since the halcyon days of Arthur Lee and Love."

To download track at MAGNET, click here.

"Bananas Foster" reviewed at WGTB!
November 16, 2010
Robert Kaminski reviews "Bananas Foster" for radio station WGTB's website, rating it 8.9/10 and writing that it "stands up to the classics by which it is influenced" and "deserves to be in the conversation for best albums of 2010." To read entire review, click here.

Rodney On The ROQ!
November 11, 2010
The legendary Rodney Bingenheimer ("Mayor Of The Sunset Strip") played The Jigsaw Seen's "Where The Action Isn't" on his radio show on KROQ 106.7 FM (Los Angeles) last Sunday night. To view Rodney's playlist from November 7, click here.

Also, new radio spins for "Bananas Foster" this week include 

KSCL (Shreveport, LA) 

KTSW (San Marcos, TX)

KWVA (Eugene, OR)

WMNF (Tampa,FL)

WNRS (Sweet Briar, VA)

WPRK (Winter Park, FL)

WRSU (New Brunswick, NJ) and BTR Internet Radio.

"Bananas Foster" reviewed in Dagger!
November 09, 2010
Dagger magazine reviews "Bananas Foster" in the current issue, comparing it to Love's "Forever Changes."
Quotes include "gorgeous Zombies-esque pop" and "amazing package." 

To read entire review, click here

Also, Dagger's Top 10 CDs for October includes "Bananas Foster" at #5.

"Bananas Foster" enters the CMJ Top 200 chart!
November 03, 2010
"Bananas Foster" entered the CMJ Top 200 chart this week at #183.
The CMJ chart ranks the 200 most played alternative music albums on US radio.
"Bananas Foster" is #1 at WSUW (Whitewater, WI) for the second week and also appears on the following Top 30 charts:
KCSU (Fort Collins, CO) #25, 

KVRX (Austin, TX) #19, WASU (Boone, NC) #30,

WBIM (Bridgewater, MA) #14,
WFDU (Teaneck, NJ) #27, 

WLFR (Pomona, NJ) #7, 

WONC (Naperville, IL) #8 and 

WUMD (North Dartmouth, MA) #27.

4.5 of 5 stars review in Glide!
November 02, 2010
"Bananas Foster" receives 4.5 of 5 stars in Glide Magazine, with writer Jeremy Lukens stating "With a flair for the dramatic and a penchant for experimentation, Bananas Foster is the perfect successor to Zenith. Multifaceted and clever without ever being pretentious, it is an album you can believe took ten years to create."

To read entire review, click here.

"Bananas Foster" #1 at WSUW!
October 27, 2010
"Bananas Foster" is the number one record this week on the Top 30 chart at radio station WSUW in Whitewater, WI.
Other Top 10 entries for "Bananas Foster" include #8 at WEFT (Champaign, IL) and #8 at WONC (Naperville, IL).
Top 20: #17 at KCSU (Ft. Collins, CO) and #17 at WLFR (Pomona, NJ).
Top 30: #25 at WFDU (Teaneck, NJ).

9 star review at Blurt!
October 25, 2010
"Bananas Foster" receives 9 out of 10 stars in a 500 word review in Blurt Magazine, with Jud Cost writing "with Bananas Foster, as the old pop song goes, they've finished their lifelong spiritual walkabout 'out of the commonplace into the rare.' This is their best album ever."
To read entire review, click here.

KXLU appearances!
October 16, 2010
Dennis and Jonathan will be interviewed tonight (Sunday Morning) at midnight PST on the show Melody Fair on KXLU 88.9 FM in Los Angeles.
The Jigsaw Seen will also perform live on the KXLU show Live at 5 on Thursday, October 21 at 5:00 PST. www.kxlu.com

"Bananas Foster" pre-order at Amazon!
September 23, 2010
"Bananas Foster" the forthcoming album by The Jigsaw Seen, is now available for pre-order at Amazon.
To pre-order at Amazon, click here.

"Bananas Foster" reviewed at Music Emissions!
September 14, 2010
Mike Wood recently reviewed "Bananas Foster" at Music Emissions, giving it 4 stars and writing "The eleven tunes on 'Bananas Foster' have an epic but intimate feel, full of lush melodies and dream imagery that are often stunning."
To read entire review, click here.

"Bananas Foster" review at Babysue!
August 31, 2010
A review of "Bananas Foster" appears on the pop culture site Babysue with reviewer LMNOP saying "Smart, inventive melodies and impeccable arrangements, great music, great packaging. Highly recommended, an obvious top pick" 5/5.
To read entire review, click here.

First review of "Bananas Foster"!
August 25, 2010
The first review of The Jigsaw Seen's forthcoming album "Bananas Foster" appears in today's edition of The Charleston (WV) Gazette. Michael Lipton writes "In addition to it's eye-catching package, Bananas Foster has 11 tracks that are finely tuned in every way. They're rich with melody and harmony, production flourishes and ear candy."
To read entire review, click here.

"Bananas Foster" will be released on October 19.

"Sleep" review in The Big Takeover!
July 26, 2010
Jack Rabid reviews "Sleep" in the current issue of The Big Takeover, calling it "lucious lullaby loveliness."
To read entire review, click here.

Amazon Top 100!
June 30, 2010
Thanks to everyone that purchased "Songs Mama Used To Sing" and "Zenith" at Amazon recently, causing both albums to enter Amazon's Top 100 Indie Alternative Rock Bestsellers chart yesterday.
"Bananas Foster" will be released on September 21, pre-sale available at Amazon in a few weeks.

"Sleep" review!
May 14, 2010
Beverly Patterson recently wrote the following review for the Princeton Record Exchange website:
Now here’s a great collaboration! Having initially achieved recognition in the eighties as the lead singer of  Wednesday Week, Kristi Callan has continued to pad her resume with a string of shining moments. Aside from carving out a nice solo career for herself, Kristi has also performed and recorded with famed figures such as Dave Davies and The Ventures, and currently fronts Dime Box Band. Active since the late eighties, The Jigsaw Seen is renowned for their bewitching brew of psychedelic pop rock. Discs like “Shortcut Through Clown Alley,” “My Name Is Tom” and “Zenith” are classics of their ilk, and have dutifully awarded the Los Angeles band flocks of fans. Administered by Kristi’s haunting vocals, “Sleep” stands as an electrifying slice of orchestrated pop splendor. Built upon a solid foundation of classy string arrangements and  trebly guitar work, the quirky atmospheric tune, which was composed by Kristi, sparkles with melodic radiance.
Dipping their toes into the Oasis songbook, Kristi and The Jigsaw Seen deliver a drifting, dreamy cover of “Morning Glory,” set in an acoustic format. As evidenced by this musically literate single, Kristi Callan and The Jigsaw Seen make an artistically compatible team.
www.prex.com

"Sleep" reviewed at Babysue!
April 19, 2010
Website Babysue.com recently posted the following review of Kristi Callan and The Jigsaw Seen's single "Sleep":
We rarely even spin singles...but we've really enjoyed releases by The Jigsaw Seen in the past so we slammed this one in for a listen. This single features two nice smooth pop tracks. The first, written by Kristi Callan, is a cool modern lullaby with strings in the background.
The second track is a cover of the Oasis tune "Morning Glory." A nice smooth spin...and this one sure whets the appetite for the upcoming Jigsaw Seen full-length Bananas Foster (due out later in 2010)...
www.babysue.com

"Sleep" reviewed at Mish Mash!
April 5, 2010
Website Mish Mash recently posted the following review of Kristi Callan and The Jigsaw Seen's single "Sleep":

Former Wednesday Week vocalist Kristi Callan has teamed up with our favorite modern-day psych garage band The Jigsaw Seen for a double-edged single release called Sleep. Side one (as it were) is the title track, a self-described "edgy lullaby" that has wall-of-sound guitar lines set against a string section, creating a dreamy atmosphere for Callan's soothing vocal lines. The perfect little indie rock lullaby. And to help with waking up again, the group does a kinder, gentler version of Oasis' Morning Glory, which turns the big guitar powerhouse original into a purring kitten, complete with a hurdy gurdy droning in the background. Just in case you need a little time to wake up.

MISH MASH Mandate: Sleep Perchance To Drone http://mishmashmusic.blogspot.com/

New single released today at iTunes!
February 09, 2010

"Sleep", the new download single by Kristi Callan (ex-Wednesday Week) and The Jigsaw Seen was released today at iTunes.
From the press release:
Sleep is a spectacular collaboration between Kristi Callan and The Jigsaw Seen, consisting of two new recordings. The title track, written by Kristi, is an edgy lullaby featuring tremolo guitars and a moving string arrangement. Next up is the band’s dazzling melancholy arrangement of the Oasis classic, Morning Glory, distinguished by Ms. Callan’s plaintive vocal floating on a bed of acoustic guitars and droning hurdy gurdy.
This dream release is now available as a download at iTunes.

To download "Sleep" at iTunes, click here.

"The Branch" mastered at Abbey Road!
October 19, 2009
The Jigsaw Seen's version of "The Branch" from the upcoming Jimmy Silva tribute album was mastered today at Abbey Road Studio, London.

New “Shortcut” review!

June 22, 2009

The website Wilfully Obscure recently posted a review of The Jigsaw Seen’s 1990 debut, calling it a “sophisticated psych-pop treasure”.

To read entire review, click here.

Facebook

May 31, 2009

The Jigsaw Seen now have a page on Facebook, to view page or become a fan click here.

"God Rest Ye" on BBC2!
January 18, 2009
British radio station BBC2 played The Jigsaw Seen's version of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" on Christmas day alongside x-mas classics by James Brown and Aretha Franklin. To see the BBC playlist, click here.

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